A Quick Tip by gkuang2

I've been reading Dekker for years - he is one of the few decent Christian authors.  He is a very good writer and he can really get into the mind of the characters.  With other books, Dekker has woven an intense story around a Christian theme that has made me look at things in a different way.  The theme was cleverly disguised as a suspense novel.  The Bride Collector, however, I found to be predictable and lacking subtlety.       I think … more

This is the first Dekker book I've read, and I'm not sure I'll pick up another. Though the plot has lots of wonderful elements, they never really gel into a thriller in this book- I get more chills from an episode of Criminal Minds. Though Raines was an interesting and well-drawn character, I never really warmed to Paradise or bought into their interactions. The other patients at the hospital are interesting, more interesting than the spiritual questions they raise for Raines, but do seem to have … more

It took me a while to finish this book. It's not because I hated the book or the author. I adore Ted Dekker's books. And I enjoyed the story. I was just completely creeped out by the story. Not in a scared to death that I can't go to sleep way but in a "Blargh, I want to throw up because I feel creepy crawlies running up my arm" way. I have discovered that I really don't like stories that involve psychotic killers who have mental problems. My guess is that I don't like how there is no reason for … more

This is my first Dekker novel - don't really know why I haven't read anything by him before - but that is definitely soon to change. The Bride Collector was an edge of your seat suspenseful thriller that I really enjoyed. It started off a bit slow for me, but midway through the book I was completely hooked. I just had to know what would happen next. Raines and Paradise were both great. I enjoyed their interactions with one another. But I have to say that I was really taken by some of the residents … more

Quinton Gauld, aka The Bride Collector, believed himself to be a messenger of God. His task was to find the seven beautiful women God had chosen as his favorite and present them to God in an elaborate ritual that included draining their blood. Special Agent Brad Raines was trying to stop him. After three victims, though, the FBI's investigation was getting them no closer to the killer. When Quinton leaves a note with his fourth victim, Brad is given an unusual lead--a mental health facility for … more

As part of the Amazon Vine review program, I recently selected the book The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker as one of my review items. I've not had the opportunity to read any of Dekker's works before, and the psychological thriller sounded like a decent way to spend a few evenings. Overall, the book was enjoyable. I'd have liked it to be a bit tighter in places where the action seemed to drag, but there were definitely enough characters to keep my interest.    Brad Raines is an … more

Taut and well written, this is a suspenseful psychological novel. A serial killer in Denver captures beautiful women and impales them by gluing them to a wall, one woman in each of seven different sordid locations, each woman dressed in a bridal veil. Of course they are all beautiful and they are all young. The killer leaves no DNA, no fingerprints, no tire tracks, nothing that investigators can use to discover his identity. But we the readers find out who he is early in the novel, a brilliant, … more